Familiar face to lead South Seattle campus; Interim president of Seattle Central; Former Shoreline CC chief.(NWWednesday)

Byline: Nick Perry; Seattle Times higher education reporter

Gary Oertli has another chance to lead a community college -- seven years after paying a record settlement to state ethics regulators.

After a national search, Oertli on Tuesday was named the next president of South Seattle Community College. Although the details are still being finalized, he will likely start by the fall and be paid between $165,000 and $170,000 annually.

Oertli, 62, is serving as interim president at Seattle Central Community College.

"When his appointment was announced, there was a 90-second ovation from faculty and staff," said Jill Wakefield, the chancellor of Seattle Community Colleges. "I've not worked with anybody who has been so highly regarded by faculty, staff and students."

Oertli has worked for the Seattle district the past several years.

Wakefield said he has helped rebuild educational programs, launched large construction projects and forged new ties with the community.

"He's going to be an outstanding president," Wakefield said. "He's one of the best leaders I know."

Oertli's appointment marks a resurrection of sorts for the longtime community-college administrator after he got into hot water for actions he took during his five-year tenure as president of Shoreline Community College.

The state Executive Ethics Board accused Oertli of steering a state contract to a close friend, Paul Mauel, who ran the Internet startup e-Werkz. The $350,000 contract was to develop an online bookstore for the college.

In 2000, six months after the contract was signed, Oertli left Shoreline to work for e-Werkz. He was paid an $80,000 signing bonus and a salary of $184,000 a year.

In a 2003 settlement, Oertli agreed to pay the state ethics board $20,000 in fines and costs for his actions related to the contract.

On Tuesday, Oertli said his intentions at the time had been honorable and that he'd relied on the advice of legal counsel. He said his job at e-Werkz -- part of the dot-com boom and bust cycle -- lasted only about a year before the funding evaporated.

Asked if it had been difficult to make his comeback with community colleges, Oertli said he had continued to be respected after he left Shoreline and believed he had always retained his integrity.

Oertli said one of his biggest challenges at South Seattle will be to prepare for large state funding cuts, which he believes are on the horizon.

About 9,400 students attend the school, which has campuses in West Seattle and Georgetown.

Wakefield said the Shoreline incident had not figured into Oertli's latest interviews, although it had been discussed when he first started working for the district several years ago.

"He made some inadvertent actions when the intentions were positive," Wakefield said. "I guess I believe it's old news."

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com

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